The Only Things that Matter
by purinsesu-sereniti
Summary: Reinako set during the silver millennium, just before the fall of the moon kingdom.
1. Chapter 1

They had known one another for what felt like an eternity.

Since they had been called to their duty to the Princess of the Moon, they had been bound; it was almost as if by fate, though someone else might say it was all because of the Queen. But, regardless, they were brought together for more than one reason.

She and Venus had bonded from the moment their eyes had met that day- the day they had all four arrived on the Moon from their own home planets. Just children themselves at the time, they had been born Senshi, princesses in their own right, but their duty was to another. They gladly stepped into the roles of guardians to the princess of the Silver Millennium, daughter to their ruling Queen Serenity. Her birth was somewhat of a mystery to the galaxy, but everyone in it had felt the birth of her warm, shining light. From the moment their eyes fell upon the princess, the four Senshi pledged their lives to protect her, the one who would someday be their queen.

From across the room, Mars looked on the scene with a mix of irritation and tenderness; the princess was on her knees before a trunk, throwing various articles of clothing around the room as she apparently searched for something. Venus came up beside her, unable to stifle a laugh, though Mars elbowed her in the ribs only a second before the princess was up and turning, looking much like the guilty child that she was. "Are you looking for something?" Venus asked, stepping across the threshold and going to stand before the silver-haired princess. Mars followed her in, waving away the maids, who had been coming in to dress the princess for the day, she realized, now seeing the princess was still in her nightgown.

The girl rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, lower lip caught between her teeth; she looked torn between speaking up and keeping quiet, the latter option eventually winning. "No?" Venus tilted her head to the side, her golden hair falling across her shoulder. "Come on, it's late," she said, pushing the princess towards her vanity, sitting her down at it. As she began to brush out the long, flowing locks, Mars took it upon herself to pull the white satin gown from its place across the back of a chair. Sighing, she could not help but to smile, knowing things would probably never change with their charge. Things were much worse now that she was running off to the Earth constantly- she was disappearing more and more lately, keeping all four guardians on their toes. The Queen had told them not to worry, to give her some freedom, but it was hard to let her go down there… To meet with that boy. That prince. "You have studies with Mercury today, do you not?" Venus asked, breaking the silence after a few minutes, her nimble hands setting to work on one side of the princess' hair. A nod was her only response. She finished up the other side and turned the princess on her stool, cupping her cheeks into her palms. "Are you giving me the silent treatment?"

It had been only yesterday that Venus and the others had descended upon the earth to bring her back, forcing her out of a meeting with the earthen prince, Endymion. Serenity had been anything but happy about being caught on earth yet again, but even worse- being brought back like a child. And right in front of Endymion too! A heavy sigh escaped and Venus patted her cheek, eyes softening as a smile graced her lovely features. "No, no… Of course not…" Serenity shook her head as Venus stepped back, giving her space to rise up, allowing Mars to step up instead, turning her around as her fingers began to unlace the ribbons at the neck of her nightgown. A moment later the gown fell into a puddle at her feet and Serenity instead stepped into her day dress, adjusting its sleeves at her shoulders as she thought over something to say. She turned back around to face the two of her guardians and felt an overwhelming sense of gladness, to have them there, to know she was well loved. Reaching out, Serenity slipped her arms around Venus, giving her guardian a tight squeeze. She felt Venus' return the embrace and then she pulled back, catching Mars off guard as she dove in for a hug from her as well.

"Go on," Venus said with a fond smile, waving the girl out of the room. "You're going to be late to see your mother," she admonished, wagging her finger at her. Serenity giggled and turned, racing from the room, nearly knocking aside the maids as she went. "Do you mind?" Venus asked the two with a sheepish smile, gesturing around the messy room, knowing that of course they didn't. "Come on, Mars," she reached for the other Senshi's hand, tugging her from the room.

They both felt the electric charge at the touch, both felt the steady rise in their own beating hearts. How many times had they been here before? There was no denying the feelings between them, but so dedicated to their duty and their princess, that said feelings were far from their thoughts. At least, most of the time. There were many nights were each of them had been up, late into the night thinking of the other, wondering so many things… But the biggest question of all was always: _did she feel the same? _Ask anyone else, they would have said yes, of course! But, ask one of them and the answer would have been no. So caught up in the life of their charge, they hardly had time to think about their feelings, let alone talk to the other about them. That and Mars was almost certain she would die from shame and embarrassment if Venus didn't feel the same; rejection was not something she dealt well with.

"How long til she sneaks off again?" Venus' voice broke into her thoughts and Mars grinned as they turned a corner. "I'll say… Three hours." They both laughed, pushing open a set of double doors, entering the chambers the four guardians shared; there was one, large presence chamber with four doors (two on the left, two on the right) that were each of their bedrooms. "I'll be she doesn't even make it to her lessons with Mercury," Venus chuckled, shaking her head, running a hand through her long golden locks.

"I just hope she doesn't get hurt," Mars could not help but turn the conversation to something a little darker. The tensions between the earth and moon were rising and Mars wasn't so certain what would happen to their precious princess if she were discovered alone on the blue planet. Though she wasn't fond of their budding relationship, she knew she could trust Endymion to protect her, but what if Endymion wasn't there? What if _they_ weren't there? She shuddered at the very thought. And even worse… It wasn't just the earth they had to worry about. She felt the growing darkness every now and again, threatening to spill over, threatening to destroy their happiness. Mars knew the Queen was aware, her lilac hues always watching; she had been in correspondence with others, never revealing their identities, but always promising they were loyal subjects.

"We'll protect her," Venus said, her tone changing from cheerful to somber, her blue eyes darkening. Venus, as the leader of the guardians, took her role very seriously. She had swore to protect the princess with her very life and she would do just that. "Aw, come on Mars, don't look like that," Venus reached out, taking her hands into hers, giving them a gentle squeeze.

"But what if we can't?" The flicker of self doubt returned, the cloud of darkness hanging over both of their heads. What if the darkness that was coming closer was just too strong, just too much for them? They had fought enemies before and had always won… So why… Why did this feel so very different? Before another word could be spoken, Venus was pulling her into her arms, cradling her against her warm chest, one hand stroking her long, raven locks.

"Don't say that," Venus murmured, her vocals muffled against the top of her head. "We'll always win." She went on, giving her golden head a shake, a small, shaking laugh escaping her lips. "We will _always_ protect her. We will _always_ be together." Rei felt a twinge in her heart but she did not speak, instead, she merely nodded, holding onto Venus a little more tightly, needing to feel her arms tighten around her. For the first time in weeks, Mars actually felt like it was true, that they _could_ come out on top. They were sailor Senshi, they would _never_ lose. She felt Venus shifting, her hands coming to rest upon her shoulders, gently pushing her back several inches. "Say it."

Mars blinked, but then she nodded, parroting the words back to Venus. "We'll always protect her." Venus nodded, silent encouragement for her to speak on. "We'll always be together." Another nod, but this time Venus was smiling, her perfect features radiant with it. Silence descended and they remained like that, Venus with her hands on her shoulders, Mars with a hand still lingering at her waist… Without thinking another second, Venus leaned forward, gently brushing the raven-haired Senshi's lips with her own; Mars jumped slightly, her grip at her waist tightening slightly. "Venus…" Mars murmured softly, tipping her forehead against the other's, a small smile tugging at her lips. Hearing her name upon her lips was sweeter than anything Venus had ever heard before and she loved it. Just how long had she waited for a moment like this? Kissing the girl tenderly, Venus felt Mars relax against her, one hand still at her waist, the other reaching up to entangle its digits in her golden locks.

And that was how they planned to stay, at least until…

From behind them, a soft cough was heard and immediately they sprang apart, both guardians whipping around to face their discoverer. Mars inwardly groaned at the sight of Serenity standing in the doorway, her beautiful features twisted up in glee. "I knew it!" Was all she said as she bounded across the room, collapsing into a giggling heap of silk and ribbons on a plush chair. Mars tilted her head back, a deep sigh escaping, while beside her Venus could not help but to giggle herself. The golden Senshi crossed the room, dropping onto the chair beside the princess, reaching out to tickle her sides, her most vulnerable spot. Within seconds the princess was shrieking, slipping from the chair and onto the floor, all the while Venus above her, head thrown back in her laughter.

And, as Mars looked upon them, she realized just how lucky she was, just how _happy_ she was. Seeing the two together, the two people she cared for most, it was beautiful. To have them right there with her, always, it was amazing. Venus was right- they would always be together. Nothing would ever, nothing _could _ever, destroy what they had built. Crossing the room, she too joined in, grasping the princess' flailing hands, pinning them back as Venus dove in to tickle her yet again, another wave of gasping, shrill laughter filling the room. Mars knew, if time froze on this moment, and she never lived another one, well, then that would really be just fine.

After all, they were the only things that mattered.


	2. Chapter 2

The darkness was closing in.

With each passing moment, she could feel it. At any given second, she could feel it, looming overhead like a cloud. Her heart ached, as if it knew of the pain she would suffer. But what pain… what was going to happen? Violet eyes closed, a gloved hand clenched into a tightly formed fist; she shouldered the brunt of the stress, being the only one who could _truly _feel it. She was the only one who could feel the darkness taunting them, threatening to destroy their happiness.

"Mars?"

The voice broke into her thoughts and the red clad Senshi turned, violet eyes opening. Their gaze fell upon her princess, who's wide, innocent eyes stared at her, her perfect features twisted with concern. "I'm sorry, did you say something?" Mars asked, reaching up to run a hand through her hair, trying her best to play it cool. The princess then pouted, folding her arms across her chest, clearly unhappy about being ignored. She was the only thing that could distract her, the only thing that gave her hope. It was like Venus had told her- they would always be together. They would always win, because they had something to protect. Something so very precious.

"I _said_ my mother said I could skip my lessons today, she wants me to be with her." The princess kept her face impassive, hoping she was convincing. In truth, her mother had said no such thing, but Endymion was coming, she had to get away somehow. And though she hated lying, she knew just asking would get her nowhere. But, Mars was lightyears away, too caught up in something else to hardly notice what was going on. Serenity did have to wonder if something was bothering her guardian. "But… Is everything alright? You're so very distant…" She trailed off, reaching out to grasp Mars' hands, offering her the sweetest of smiles.

Mars blinked in surprise as the princess took her hands, but then she smiled, unable to keep herself from feeling her warmth flow through her. "No, no everything is fine. Go on, go to your mother." She watched as the girl nodded, stepping back and gracefully exited- she had no idea that the moment the door had swung closed, she would be running, flying towards the gardens where Endymion was waiting for her.

"You know she isn't going with the Queen."

Turning, Mars came face-to-face with Venus, who stood in the doorway of her own bedroom; at once Mars felt stupid, having been duped by her charge. Sighing heavily, she turned away, as if she meant to go after her, but Venus was taking her hand, pulling her back to face her. Mars found that she could not even stand to look Venus in the face, for if she met those blue eyes, she might have spilled it all. Though they spoke a little of Mars' worries, of the darkness, it was something Mars preferred to keep to herself. There was never any need to cause panic amongst themselves, nor among the court, so she kept quiet. "Mars, you worry too much. We've doubled guard, we're keeping tabs on the earth and the sun. What else is it?" Venus asked, shaking her golden head, wishing to shoulder some of the pain Mars held within. "You can tell me, can't you?"

"I just can't but to think… This is a fight we can't win." Mars admitted in hushed tones, shaking her head, turning slightly away. "I keep having this dream…" At once, the images flashed before her eyes, of the great being in the sky, the darkness that destroyed their palace, of the silver hair as a body tumbled to the ground, a terrible scream… "Venus, it's not going to end like you think."

From where she stood, Venus felt her whole world stop spinning. The words that tumbled so freely from Mars' lips frightened her- but what frightened her even more? The fact that she believed her. Venus knew, despite how she acted on the outside, that things were growing dark. That the sun was releasing dark bursts of energy and even the queen was nervous. Venus had walked in on her once, her beautiful face contorted with unease, though she had tried to smile for her. "Our fate hasn't yet been decided," Venus replied, shaking her head, knowing that she had to be the one who offered encouragement. "If you give up faith, then so will the rest of us… We can't win if we already think we've lost."

Well, that was an argument Mars couldn't argue with. But, she couldn't help but to feel pessimistic. "We're always together?" Mars asked, a small smile sliding into place upon her features as she squeezed Venus' hands. Even if it meant throwing down their own lives, they would win, right? They would die trying, at the very least.

Venus smiled, nodding. "Always."

[ x x x ]

It was happening.

All around her was chaos. Screaming, shouting, clanging… The earth had chosen the very next night to attack, but it wasn't just them. No… Just like she had dreamed, a great being took up the sky above, raining down powerful attacks, destroying the palace and its inhabitants. The four guardians raced across the gardens, screaming out for their princess, having lost sight of her during the chaos. "Venus, there!" Mars suddenly spotted her, clinging to Endymion, who brandished his sword, his body shielding hers. All four sets of eyes fell upon her and they ran forwards, eager to reach her, to get her to safety.

"Hurry!" Jupiter cried out, pointing upwards at the great being they now knew to be called Metalia. Power was gathering, preparing to be released; its target? Their princess. As the great beam of light was released, they could do nothing but watch as the attack shot out, their voices lost upon the wind. But, just in time, Endymion was stepping forwards, his sword clattering to the ground as his arms came around her, shielding her from the attack. They all heard the gut-wrenching scream that fell from Serenity's lips as Endymion's body slid down hers, falling into a heap at her feet. Mars felt her heart turnover as Serenity's face paled, her hands trembling as they rose up to cover her mouth in shock.

She was kneeling then, lifting his body into her arms, blue eyes spilling tears of anguish; Venus and the others continued towards her, but another wave of earthlings stepped in, forcing them into battle yet again. The humans, tainted by the evil of Metalia, fought with the strength of darkness; though it was not in their nature, the Senshi took them down, despite knowing those humans would probably never rise again. They had to do what they must, to save their kingdom, to save their princess. Mars blasted the earthling coming at her and she felt compelled to turn, just in time to catch Serenity reaching for Endymion's sword. For one single moment, she wondered just what Serenity's intentions were going to be. And then she realized. "Serenity! Serenity!" She screamed, catching the attention of the other guardians, all of whom turned to look upon their princess as well.

Mars began to run, ignoring the humans all around her, ignoring the blasts that rained down from above. Dodging as best she could, she reached out, her voice never quite reaching the silver-haired girl. And as an attack caught her, forcing her down to the ground, Mars was forced to watch as she plunged the sword into her very own chest. It took only a moment for her hands to fall slack, for the sword to fall, and for her body to slump forwards, across Endymion's. The flutter of her hair as she fell sent Mars into a frenzy, her fire rising up like a barrier, forcing the earthlings back as she staggered back to her feet. She was unaware of the tears streaming down her face, of the silent screams escaping as she opened and closed her mouth. Her heart was beating too fast to be considered normal- as if it would beat right out of her very chest. Suddenly, her life had no meaning.

Turning back at the sounds of sobbing, she caught sight of her three comrades- Mercury falling to her knees as she cried, unable to even fight. Jupiter who fought through her tears, tearing down the surrounding enemies with waves of thunder. And then Venus.. Her rock, the only thing left that truly mattered… Her blue eyes were full of unshed tears, her lower lip trembling as she fought against the sobs surely trapped within. But those eyes turned away from Mars and instead fell upon their Queen, who's arrival to the battle scene was too late. They all heard her terrible scream as she caught sight of her daughter's fallen body, battered and bleeding atop Endymion's. Mars shuddered, turning away, unable to face the Queen they had failed.

From somewhere in the distance, laughter rang out; Beryl, though unnamed to them, stood atop a jagged pillar, her staff held high into the air as she laughed. She had done it- she had taken out both Endymion and his sniveling princess of the white moon. Now all that was left was the Queen and her kingdom, then steal the ginzuishou. The one thing that mattered was that crystal, to harness its power and take complete control of the galaxy. "This is over!" She cried out, her voice exploding like a bomb, and from above, the being Metalia was ready to strike.

Red glowing eyes fell upon the four Senshi, still gathered together as if prepared to fight against her. They were on the move, heading towards their fallen princess, but to what cause? Metalia knew the white moon princess was dead, as was the earth prince Endymion. There was no loss there. But there was no chance for those girls… This kingdom was lost. Metalia began to gather her power, its source the gem between her eyes; it was filling her up, threatening to spill over as those eyes strayed for only a moment to the queen, who looked too lost to continue on. It was almost too easy. Without another moment's hesitation, she released the powerful jet of dark energy, aiming it directly below her, to where the four guardians stood.

They had almost reached her when the attack struck. There was no time to escape, no time to fight back. Mars turned her eyes back to the queen, who was rising up from her knees, a determined look set in her grief-stricken eyes. The pain was intense, so much more intense than she had ever felt in all of her life- the only thing to rival it was the loss of Serenity. Around her, she could hear the individual screams of her comrades, as each one fell to the crushing blow of the attack. Mercury went down first, lost to them in an instant. Then went Jupiter, who's fist was still clenched as she hit the ground. Mars felt herself falling, felt all of her world turning black… Then a hand found hers. Turning, she caught sight of Venus, who even in death offered her the smallest of smiles. As if to say… Everything would be fine.

And then, that was it. Mars felt her body hit the ground, could feel the life slowly ebbing away… Venus clutched at her hand and she returned it, her violet eyes falling closed. From behind closed lids, she could feel, could still see the immensely bright light that suddenly was shining. Such a warm, soft glow was overhead… if only she could open her eyes… If only… Hand in hand with Venus, she felt her life go out, and then the darkness of death truly consumed her.

[ x x x ]

_I won't let it end like this…_

Queen Serenity raised her hand high, the Crescent Moon Stick gripped tightly in her palm. The ginzuishou flickered to life, softly at first, before its brilliant white light began to shine across all of the kingdom. She could hear the shouting, the screaming of the damned as the pure light burned them to dust. Above her, Metalia screeched in protest, but it took only a few moments before even she too was dispersed. Sealing them away, the Queen fell to her knees, every ounce of her life energy used up in the task. The ginzuishou was not hers to control, after all, it was meant to be Serenity's… _Serenity… _The thought of her precious daughter brought tears to her eyes as she fell back against a pillar, the Moon Stick still clutched in her hand.

All around her was destruction; her entire kingdom was destroyed, all of her people lost to her. Serenity and her court were dead… But she could not let it end there. They had to have a future. One by one their faces flashed before her eyes… Mercury… Jupiter… Mars… Venus… _You have not failed, as you thought… I am so proud… _and then Serenity… _My darling daughter… Your future is not yet lost… _Taking the ginzuishou from its place atop the Moon Stick, the Queen held it in her palm, its glow a soft little flicker. _Please, ginzuishou… Let them start over… Let them live…_

The crystal floated high above her, where it released its power in a flash of light; the light enveloped the numerous bodies scattered all across the land, and in an instant, they were gone. A small, sad smile graced the Queen's face as the life she knew began to slowly fade away. Far away, she knew Saturn was awakening, and the other Outer Senshi were only able to watch as their worlds came to an end as well. It was only a matter of moments now… Serenity's name was on her lips as everything faded to black… and just like that, the Moon Kingdom's glorious reign was over.

[ x x x ]

Sunshine was shining in through pure white curtains, a slight breeze drifting in through the slightly cracked window. A soft groan was heard as a body turned over in bed, dark hair spilling across a pillow. Violet eyes fluttered open, the images of her dream still fresh within her drowsy mind; of all things, two faces stood out… Two pairs of bright blue eyes, so different that they clearly belonged to two different people. The flutter of silver hair.. The glimpse of a big, red bow… Fully awake now, the girl sat up in bed, the sheet falling away. "Rei? Rei are you awake?" The call of her grandfather came in through the door and the young woman nodded, though she knew he could not see. "It's nearly eight, you'll be late!"

"Yes!" She called out, to which his response was a mumble, his footsteps sounding as they walked away. Rising up from her bed, she dressed quickly, tugging on her socks in a flash. It was really unlike her to oversleep, but those dreams… They haunted her every single night. Escaping out her door, she waved to her grandfather as she went, running down the stone steps and out onto the sidewalk. In her hurry, as she rounded a corner, she didn't she the blonde and walked right into her.

"Ack!" She cried out as she stumbled backwards, the other girl catching herself just in time. "I'm so sorry-" she began, lifting her violet orbs to fall upon the beautiful features of the blonde. She fell silent mid-sentence, her eyes widening at the face before her. Eyes drifted upwards, to the red bow tied into her golden hair, images of her dreams flashing in her mind.

"It's okay, it was my fault, I'm always running late," the girl replied with a sunny smile, lifting her hand in a wave. "Gotta run, bye now!" The blonde side-stepped around the raven-haired beauty, and dashed off down the street, in the direction of the main street, while Rei could not stop herself from turning around to watch her go. But, then the sound of the coming bus distracted her, and she was racing towards the bus stop, catching it just in the nick of time. Unbeknownst to her, the blonde she had bumped into stood on the street corner, watching her as she climbed onto the bus, tears shining in her eyes.

As the bus drove away, Rei glanced out the window, only to see the girl still standing on the corner, growing further and further away as the bus drove forwards… Why… Why did it feel as if she knew her? As if she were someone important to her… A single tear slid down her cheek, surprising her. Her hand reached up, her fingertip catching the tear, a feeling of immense sadness swallowing her. Perhaps they would meet again… Rei certainly hoped so.

And so did the blonde… She had been waiting for this moment for many months now. It was not yet time to introduce herself, she had to wait until the moment was right. But with the awakening of two soldiers, both Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury, she knew the time was coming. She just had to be patient. Soon, they would be together again.


End file.
